5 hours to exercise each day - what should I do?

turtlemt20

College student with a very light courseload. I have 5 hours and access to the school gym.

Need to go from 142 -> 115 lbs. Female, 5'3".

Advice for what my workout plan should be? (I'm doing a basketball class and also training for a half marathon that's in a couple of months)

triciamca

Don't workout hardcore that amount of time. Trust me. You will mess up your body. It's never really talked about, but there's a too much with exercise and there is exercise addiction. Found that out the hard way. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-truth-about-exercise-addiction/201503/yes-you-can-get-addicted-exercise

zamphir66

Basketball + marathon training seems to have your cardio taken care of. I would add a beginner strength training program like SL 5x5, Starting Strength, NROLW, etc. Others will have more suggestions I'm sure. And like the person above me says, just because you have 5 hours doesn't mean you need to work out 5 hours. That would probably do more harm than good.

RainyDayBrunette

Weights and yoga! And a nice rest period.

TavistockToad

take up a hobby or volunteer, you don't need to exercise for 5 hours a day to lose weight

rybo

Find a decent strength training program training that takes 45-60 mind then study, relax, job search for the rest of the time.

3dogsrunning

rybo wrote: »

Find a decent strength training program training that takes 45-60 mind then study, relax, job search for the rest of the time.

I would add - meal prep during some of that time. Losing weight is about how much you take in vs burn off. You don't need to exercise for hours on end. You can do that and still not lose weight if you are maintaining a calorie deficit.

Francl27

Do what you like. Don't get burned out.

These days I regularly do 1.5 hour on the stationary bike (watching Netflix) and a 4.5-5 miles walk BUT it took me a long time to get there, and I still need rest days because my legs get really tired after a few days at that regimen.

cee134

Actually if you do this everyday you will be in good shape.

daniip_la

cee134 wrote: »

Actually if you do this everyday you will be in good shape.

Only if OP wants their hair to fall out.

OP, I second the others who are saying to find something that uses maybe an hour, and use the rest of that time for other productive things. Studying, volunteering, resting, working, etc.

RoxieDawn

1/2 marathon is in a couple of months (i.e. 8 weeks?). I would be running already. I would also cross train while HM training. This will help your running. Pick a strength training program you might like.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

SLLRunner

turtlemt20 wrote: »

College student with a very light courseload. I have 5 hours and access to the school gym.

Need to go from 142 -> 115 lbs. Female, 5'3".

Advice for what my workout plan should be? (I'm doing a basketball class and also training for a half marathon that's in a couple of months)

First of all, don't exercise for for that long. You will do more harm than good.

Pick an exercise you like and try for an hour or so.

However, if you want to lose weight, you need to eat less calories than you expend. With so little to lose, aim for a half pound a week.

zamphir66

cee134 wrote: »

Actually if you do this everyday you will be in good shape.

Sit-ups (and crunches) are now pretty much discouraged by everyone.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/want-a-stronger-core-skip-the-sit-ups

CasperNaegle

I workout 45 minutes to 1 hour in the gym 5 days a week. You really don't need more than that. The vast majority of your weight loss is done in the kitchen. I would always recommend lifting, but that is what I like. It reallly depends on what you want to do, what you enjoy, what you want your body to look like.

cee134

Replace sit ups (and I meant crunches but sit ups are part of the joke) with bicycle kick crunches and Roman leg lefts.
Push ups, and planking are great.
squats are still good.
Running, biking, and/or walking. (Do interval training, so push hard for short periods of time when you do this for better results)

You don't need a gym for this and you can keep up this after school too.
I would aim for an hour or less also. This will help you keep a good exercise regime after you graduate.

All this or play sports and/or do some exercise classes.

turtlemt20

Thanks all

quiksylver296

rybo wrote: »

Find a decent strength training program training that takes 45-60 mind then study, relax, job search for the rest of the time.

This! Check out Stronglifts 5X5 at stronglifts.com. Download the app. Use it to track your workout at the gym. Stick with it for at least 4 months, and reap the rewards!

stealthq

Beginner weight lifting is good - and will definitely help with learning to run with tired legs if you do it before you run. Otherwise, if I were you I'd use that time for foam rolling, flexibility work, and to work on form and balance if you need it.

And rest. Mainly, with all the other work, I'd advocate rest.

kshama2001

Another vote for beginner strength training program and meal prep. Yoga has many benefits as well.